Burnt Out & last exam on Friday!

[megumic]

Ugh. I feel like I've been in the library for an eternity. (Does 6 weeks count?) Needless to say, I'm totally burnt out and have my last exam (of my first year of law school - woo hoo!) on Friday and just can't seem to do anything. I'm so frustrated. I know I need to prepare, but can't seem to find the will or the energy

I can imagine a couple other PS'ers are in the same boat - it seems a lot of us are in undergrad or all sorts of different graduate programs. How do you get out of the mental block to just get it done?!


Sincerely,
Needs a serious attitude adjustment

 

[b.anna]

aww i totally know how you feel! i went to grad school right after undergrad, and i''m so glad to have a year off between now and hopefully going to medical school.

to get out of my slump i surround myself with tons of food and water, good music, and make a list of things i want to revise in a paper or study for an exam. then i tackle it one at a time, before i know it i''m on a roll!

in your case, just think that this is your VERY LAST EXAM! and imagine all the other stuff you got done before this point, and hopefully you''ll find this last exam is nothing in comparison

i know so many people in their first year of law school, and i heard it''s ROUGH, so congrats on finishing your first year!!

 

[Callisto]

Maybe a change of scenery. Sometimes I feel like when I''ve spent too long studying in one place I stop being very productive. Maybe try a new library or lounge or something? You''re in the home stretch (me too, I''m graduating from undergrad sunday but still have 3 more finals) you can do it!!!!

 

[Lauren8211]

Ugh! Law school! yucky!

I second the idea to try some new scenery. Definitely helps me when I hit a road block.

Good luck on your exam on Friday!

 

[bee*]

I''m doing exams at the moment as well and I definitely find changing the place that I study to be helpful. I studied outside today for quite a while as it was quiet and I got a good bit done. I find that it''s harder to study when you''re nearly finished all of them as you''re that much closer to the summer. Best of luck on friday!

 

[bee*]

sorry double post

 

[megumic]

Thanks for the support! Law school exams are pretty yucky, thankfully the rest of it is great. (Depending on who you ask I guess.)

Just need to focus, study and pass...blagh!

 

[princessplease]

Good luck on your exam.
I just try and envision what it will be like after the test/paper/assignment is done. That way, I have something to look forward to. It definitely makes the assignments more bearable.

 

[kittybean]

First off, congratulations on almost being finished with your first year of law school!

My advice is to take a serious break. Go work out, spend some time outside, nap, call your friends and family, cook yourself a good meal, flip through some girly magazines . . . you get the idea. I finished law school last year, and I found thta it always helped me to give my brain some rest before tackling that last exam. I know it can be hard to tear yourself away from the books, but doing so often re-motivated me to study that last bit.

Good luck on your exam!

 

[ellie424]

First of all...congrats on almost being done with your first year of law school! Secondly...all of the ideas from previous posters sound great! I am definitely going to try some of them out because I am in the same boat as you! I have my last final exam on Thursday and I feel sooo burnt out from this semester.

To make matters even worse, I am finishing up my 2nd year (still have one year left) in a masters program and on June 1st I am going to have my comprehensive exam which covers everything I have learned over the past 2 years! I really don't know how I'm going to find the energy to study...but I need to get it from somewhere...and fast!!!!

 

[CNOS128]

You just have to sit back, breathe, and think about how your grade on this exam is going to determine your entire professional future! No. Don''t do that last part. I''m taking my last exam as a 2L in a couple of days and I can barely focus. I always do better on the exams I take earlier in the exam period, for that reason.

I''m glad you''re at least enjoying part of law school. That makes this part not as horrendous, perhaps.

I''m the kind of person who needs adrenaline to get through any monumentally boring task - so I do a lot of preparation during the semester, and then my finals studying doesn''t kick into high gear until about 24hrs before each exam. I also like to study for an hour, then take a 10 minute break. Ideally I would study for 2 hours and then take a break, but I can''t sit still that long...

Good luck! It''s going to feel so good when it''s all over!

 

[suchende]

Check lawshucks.com lay-off tracker for motivation?

 

[suchende]

p.s. congratulations on (almost) finishing 1L!!

 

[jjc]

megumic - I know exactly how you feel!! My last exam of first year is on Thursday, my brain is fried and in terms of motivation I'm basically running on fumes at this point. So I definitely feel your pain. AND I keep thinking of things I should have included in my essay answers and it's making me

at myself (wasted energy at this point, I know)! I caught a really nasty flu and was basically unable to move, eat, or THINK for 3 weeks before reading period (my worst nightmare realized), so I was definitely not as prepared as I would have liked for this semester's exams. Oomph. (Maybe that might motivate you to keep pushing and finish strong, since it sounds like you were extremely well-prepared to begin with?

)

Oh well, one more to go! That's the ONLY thing keeping me going at this point. Good luck on your last exam - just one more, and we won't be 1Ls anymore!

 

[Lilac]

Congratulations on almost finishing your first year of law school!

I completely understand how you feel. I have 2 finals tomorrow, one Monday (which, ironically enough, is on the psychology of motivation), and another really REALLY difficult one on Tuesday. I''ve had 2 or 3 tests every single week since the semester started (with the exception of spring break), and at this point I just feel so exhausted and burnt out and I''m finding it impossible to make myself sit down and study!! I don''t have any advice, but I definitely know how you feel...

Good luck on your last final!

 

[suchende]

yikes, how many law students/lawyers do we have here? maybe just seems like a lot because it catches my interest

 

[Squirrly]

hope your studying is going well! you''re almost there

 

[AllieGator]

I can totally sympathize...I''m an undergrad, but (accidently) took a very heavy course load with a lot of work this semester. At the end of the semester, I just COULD NOT get myself to do work, and I couldn''t apply myself.

This isn''t the ideal solution, but once I was put under pressure (like, it was 10 pm and my test was at 8 am the next day), I would be able to focus and get work done. I got my grades yesterday, and I did very well this semester, so it worked.

I don''t know what works for you, but I''m sure you''ll find something. Good luck with exams!

 

[megumic]

Two hours to go until the exam...can''t wait for it to be over! Thanks for all of your support and good ideas to get me back to the books! By 4pm I''ll hopefully be a few celebratory drinks deep

Thanks again - everyone on PS is amazing

 

[bee*]

Best of luck! I''ve just finished an exam so am taking an hour out. You''ll do great!

 

[Bia]

Best of luck to you!

 

[Lauren8211]

Good Luck!